November…T1D Awareness Month!

Hi everyone! So as some of you may or may not know, November is national diabetes awareness month. (I like to think of it as specifically type 1 but it is just called “diabetes”) Anyway, this is a great time to talk to people with type 1 to understand what having it is truly like if you yourself don’t have it.

For those of you who don’t know, I am going to explain all of the items in the picture I took to help you better understand what living with type 1 is all about. So, starting from left to right top to bottom, here we go…

Glucagon emergency kit: The long red tube on it is something that people with type 1 must carry with them EVERYWHERE. It is in case of a severe low where the individual is unconscious. Inside the case is a bottle of powder and a syringe which someone must give to the individual ASAP.

Bottle of test strips: This bottle contains the strips needed to test someone with type 1’s blood. Myself and others prick our fingers between 12 and 15 times per day (including during the night) in order to try to keep our blood sugars as stable as possible. It is not easy trying to be a pancreas!

Pricking device: This black and white device has a needle inside and is the tool we use to prick our finger and test our blood sugar 12-15 times per day.

Insertion kit: This pink donut is how a pump infusion site is inserted into the body. Inside is a needle attached to tubing which the pump is connected to upon insertion. It is changed every 3 days

Omni Pod site kit: This kit is currently the only pump on the market that is tubeless. This again is attached to the body and changed every 3 days.

Medtronic insulin pump: This is the actual pump that the tubing is attached to. It contains enough insulin to keep someone with type 1 alive for approximately 3 days.

Novolog bottle: This is the bottle of insulin that keeps me and so many others alive everyday.

These are just a few of the items that people with type 1 must have at all times. If you have it, you know that living with type 1 is no walk in the park. It is exhausting physically, mentally, and emotionally. It is truly a brutal disease to have to deal with everyday. So, if you know anyone with type 1, ask them questions this month. Ask them to explain what the super cool spy gadgets they wear do. How they keep him or her alive. These individuals fight a battle against their own body everyday. A battle that you may know nothing about. So allow us to teach you. We want an educated community!

So happy diabetes month! And to everyone with type 1 out there…keep fighting!!!

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3 thoughts on “November…T1D Awareness Month!”

Morgan, thank you for your honesty and sharing what a day feels like, looks like and mostly educating people like me. You my friend, are such an inspiration to not just people with T1D but to anyone having any sort of struggle. Your positivity, confidence and STRENGTH is beyond admirable and YOU are a true asset to our community.